Cohort Learning Model

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Background

As the only program of its kind in the country, the Program on Domestic Violence (PDV) has experienced broad national appeal. The primary audience for the PDV is practitioners within domestic violence service, advocacy and criminal legal system organizations who aspire to positions of policy and management leadership. These are typically individuals who are strongly positioned within their programs as well as their communities. For many of these women and men it would be not only difficult but imprudent for them to pick up their lives and move to Denver to attend school. In order for the program to successfully accomplish its mission of ending domestic violence by fostering institutional and social change through leadership development, education, research, and community collaboration , its reach must expand beyond the Denver-metro area.

Overview

Whether offered as a concentration within the Public Administration or Criminal Justice graduate degree programs or a stand alone certificate, the 12 credit hours of required domestic violence concentration classes are completed over the course of five (5) intensive visits to the University of Colorado Denver Downtown Campus. Visits to the campus are approximately one week (4-7 days) in length and take place 2-3 times per year, typically making it feasible for those without support from their employer to participate using paid leave.

Structure

Intensives

To integrate the variety course materials offered at each intensive, a team teaching approach is used. Class time per day may vary, incorporating guest speakers, field trips, group projects, etc. Teams may include domestic violence faculty, non profit faculty and the cohort facilitator. Each Intensive Team selects a Distinguished Guest Speaker who will specifically enhance the coursework of students for that session. Distinguished guests are typically individuals who are doing exciting, cutting edge work in the field. While in town, the Distinguished Guest will participate in the Intensive as well as conduct an educational presentation of some kind for the community at large. In order to provide students adequate time to complete the work required by the instructors, each domestic violence course includes class time that spans two of the intensives as well as an online component. In additional to the formal courses and Distinguished Guest presentations, each Intensive includes a variety of cohort sessions. Cohort sessions incorporate material on leadership, skill building, organizational management and policy development. The purpose of the cohort sessions is to enhance administrative focus in the program and provide opportunities for students to discuss the various domestic violence content areas in the context of possible policy and management implications.